The Conspiracy
by jdlilith
Summary: Arthur is bored being king and sets out on a quest to alleviate his boredom. Little did he know the consequences that this quest would have. The whole of Camelot seemed to be holding secrets from him, including his wife. Set between s4-s5
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Arthur has everything he ever wanted. He was ruling a strong, fair kingdom with his beautiful and smart wife. He had the strongest knights in the five kingdoms as his trusted friends. Camelot was in a time of peace with Morgana missing. In all honesty everything was as he had envisioned, and he was horribly bored.

There was nothing for him to do as King. He had meetings every day for what felt like the whole day. When he did get time to train with knights it was clear to him that his skills were slipping from lack of use. Even his manservant, Merlin, had been making jokes about his weight gain. All in all it was humiliating.

The worst part about all of it was that it was true. He was getting weak and wasn't in the shape he was in when he became king. He would never say he was fat, but he had noticed the change as well. He felt like he was going crazy without a war to rage, a fight to be won, or an enemy to be slain. He was grateful for the time of peace in his kingdom. The druid's were now friends, no longer the treat that they use to be. The four other kingdoms were either allied with Camelot or in a very shaky truth with the kingdom. It was a great time for Camelot and its people, but having been raised to fight his whole life, Arthur did not know what to do in times of peace.

Arthur was in yet another council meeting, only half paying attention, when something caught his interest. Scouts from the far west had come to report how the villages were fairing with the upcoming winter.

"Morgana is believed to have been captured just over the border in Amata." The scout told them. "The villagers are scared that she will get free and come for them."

"Morgana was captured by Sarrum? What does he plan to do with her?" Arthur asked of the scouts. He has heard nothing of Morgana since he took Camelot back from her. He had thought she was dead until this moment.

"We uh …. We don't know what he plans. We do not even know if the rumors are true, Sire."

"Your dismissed" he waved his hand towards the door and the Scout left. He waited until the door closed before addressing his friends and closest advisors. "Sarrum is a brutal man, even to his allies. I do not believe that she went there in search for his alliance."

"She was very weak after the battle" Gaius pointed out. "Maybe she was going in search of something that could help to regain her strength"

"Do you know what it might have been?" Arthur wanted to figure out what Morgana was planning and stop her before she could attack them again.

"I do not, but I may be able to find out, with time Sire."

"See it done. We must find what she is after before she manages to get free and take it for herself." With that Arthur called the meeting to a close. He was going to have a long journey to prepare for, in the winter no less.

-0-

It took several days before Gaius was able to find any information on a magical item that Morgana may have any interest in. He had a meeting with Arthur to explain what he had found.

"It's called the Horn of the Wild Hunt." He told Arthur. "It is the only item of any magical importance that there is any mention of being in Sarrum's kingdom."

Arthur had never heard of such a thing. His confusion showed on his face. "What is this horn thing?"

"Horn of the Wild Hunt" Gaius repeated, "It is used to summon fairy folk and spirts to start the Wild Hunt. It is my belief that Morgana plans to find the Horn and bring the Wild Hunt to Camelot."

Arthur could tell from the look on Gaius' face that this was something that had the old physician and past sorcerer worried. "What would happen if she succeeded?" He wasn't sure he really wanted to know.

"Well Sire … The hurt is a terrible thing. Spirts and Faye folk will descend on the city. They are mischievous beings and when called in open areas there is little issue. When they reach a populated area though …" He sighed "Food and water disappear, they play tricks on the mind making you go insane, and anyone that is caught outside by the spirts is carried off and never seen again. It is not something I would wish Camelot to experience."

"And she won't" Arthur swore this to Gaius. "Where can I find this horn?"

"I do not know it's location for certain. The last Wild Hunt I heard of was many years before the purge. But that was located in the Forest of Nagas, deep behind Amata's borders."

"I will lead a small group. We can be in and out without Sarrum knowing we were even there." Arthur was confident in his knight's ability to pull this off without being caught. He knew that if he told Sarrum about the Horn he would use it to his own means, maybe even against Camelot. Arthur felt the only safe place for such an item was deep beneath Camelot in the vaults.

"It will not be that easy, Sire. The forest gets its name from the creatures that exists inside of it. They are half man and half serpent. They are said to be extremely beautiful but death to any who get close to them." The tone of Gaius' words held a warning to the king. "To find this Horn will be very dangerous indeed."

"That matters not. We must find it before Morgana has a chance." Arthur turned to Merlin who had been listening to the full conversation, "Have my men prepare, we leave in the morning."

"Arthur are you sure …" Merlin wanted to protest.

" _Mer_ lin, who is the king?" Arthur tried not to sound too irritated with his friend.

"You Sire" Merlin went to do what Arthur asked, not putting up any more of an argument.

-0-

That night while getting ready for bed, Arthur told Gwen of his plans to leave and find the Horn of the Wild Hunt.

"Arthur please don't go." Gwen was worried, she always hated when Arthur would risk his life in such ways.

"It's my duty to protect the people of Camelot, to protect you." Arthur pulled his wife into his arms. It meant the world to him that she cared so much about him, but he could not appear weak as king.

"But Arthur to travel so far at this time. The cold winds are coming, winter will be on us before we know it. You know what Sarrum will do to you if he catches you in his kingdom uninvited. And if you even do make it to this forest and avoid those monsters that Gaius warned you about, who is to say that this is even the thing Morgana is after?" Fear and worry were thick in Gwen's voice. "And why leave with winter so close, can you not wait for the thaw to get here?"

"That may be too late. If we leave at first light and ride hard we should only be gone but a few weeks. We shall return long before the first snow has fallen." He wanted to comfort his wife, more than anything he wanted her safe and happy.

Gwen knew that there would be no way to talk her husband out of this. Once Arthur had his mind set to something, nothing short of death would distract him. "Then ride fast and safe" She told him "And return to me quickly." She gave him a light kiss. Even though she was giving him her blessing she was still scared to her core that he would not return.

 **A/N The Wild Hunt is an actual event from Celtic lore. It is much like I have described with Fairy and Spirts know to carry people off and make them disappear forever. Food and Water stores also go missing while the Wild Hunt is going on. Visions of spirt Dogs and Horses are also said to be seen. This all happens in the depth of winter. The Horn of the Wild Hunt is my own creation. The Nagas are also creatures of myth but I will place my own spin on those as well. I hope you enjoy.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Arthur was ready to go at first light. Gwen came to the front gate to say goodbye and make sure they had everything that they would need. Arthur was going to head out with Gwaine, Leon, Percival and Merlin. Elyan was there with his horse loaded up, ready to join them.

"Elyan, I want you to stay behind with Gwen." Arthur told him, having him come over to the two of them.

"But Sire, I think I could be of more use with you." Elyan knew Gwen would be devastated if anything happened to Arthur and he wanted to be there to personally see to his safety.

"I want you to watch over my wife." He was using his King voice that left no room for argument. "This is the first time I shall be gone for a long period of time. Gwen is in charge while I am gone. I want her safe. Make sure I have a wife to return to."

Elyan could see the worry in the king's eyes. As much as Gwen didn't want Arthur to leave, it was clear Arthur was just as worried about her safety. "I will protect her with my life." He swore.

"I know you will." Arthur smiled at him and clapped him on the shoulder. He gave Gwen a light kiss before he mounted his horse along with his men.

"Please return to me." Gwen said to Arthur and then looked at the other four men "All of you return safely." Gwen knew the danger her husband and friends were going into. She would forever be grateful to Arthur for letting Elyan stay behind with her. She didn't know if she would have been able to handle it if she was to lose her brother and her husband. She mentally shook her head. She would not lose Arthur, he would return in a few short weeks and life would return to normal. That's what she had to keep telling herself anyways.

She leaned into her brother now for support as she watched the small group ride down the main street and out of the city. She didn't know if she was ready to be in charge, but she wouldn't let anyone know her secret fears. She was the queen of Camelot. She had to put on a strong face until Arthur returned. That was easier said than done though.

-0-

Arthur and his group made fast time across the kingdom. They were ever watchful for bandits but knew the areas that they frequented and avoided them as much as they possibly could while staying on the fastest path to the west. Arthur had been up most of the night to figure out the best route for them to the Forest of the Nagas. He figured that it would take about four days to reach the boarder, after that it would be an additional five to reach the forest undetected. It was a hard trail to trek and they would have to leave the horses behind, reducing what they would be able to take with them. Once they crossed the border Arthur planned to follow a mountain ridge through some caves to avoid detection from Sarrum's forces. It was not the most direct route, or the fastest, but it was the safest. While Arthur wanted to get home quickly, he also wanted to do so with all his men at his back.

When they made camp their first night they quickly figured out a few things. The ground was colder than they were used to but a layer of leaves under their blankets made everything much more comfortable. They were lucky that the changing weather left plenty of wood laying round for a warm fire. Each and every one of them, except Merlin, had thought the queen was over reacting when insisted on them packing extra blankets to cover with but as they tried to sleep the first night they were thankful for the queen's forethought.

It took them almost a full day longer then Arthur had thought it would for them to reach the boarder. They had unfortunately run into an overflowing river. The current had been too strong for the horses to pass and they had been forced to double back and look for another crossing. They lost over half a day from that and Arthur truly hoped that he wouldn't run into any more issues. When they did reach a small village near the border they found a family able to take their horses in for the two weeks they were going to be gone. Arthur made sure they had everything they would need for the horses and more to help the family with the upcoming winter. They took what supply's they each could easily carry, all the men found a way to bring the blankets that Gwen had insisted on, and got ready to set out in the morning.

-0-

Gwen was having a harder time handling Arthur being away then she thought she would. She had never comprehended just how much work it took to rule a kingdom. With winter approaching there was increasing requests for help to prepare for the coming weather. Gwen was unsure if she was doing the right thing but she couldn't turn away anyone in need. She remembered what it was like trying to get through the winter storms in her drafty little home in the lower city. She may not have to worry about that now but the rest of Camelot was not as lucky as she was.

The poor were not Gwen's only issues with ruling the kingdom, she didn't have the attention span for it. She remember how she use to tease Arthur for his lack of interest in the day to day events of the kingdom. Gwen now had a new appreciation. She had never had issues when she would sit in with Arthur before this but for some reason, as of late, she could scarcely keep her eyes open. She had been called out on this more than once in the past five days and each time was as humiliating as the time before.

It wasn't unit the fifth night when she was eating her diner that Gwen even believed there may be anything wrong with her. She was eating dinner with her brother. They had been discussing where Arthur might be on his journey. If he was on schedule then he would be to Amata by now and that had Gwen worried. She was about half way into her meal when her stomach tied its self into knots. She barely made it to a bin before she was losing her meal. Elyan was right at her side.

"Elyan, would you have the guard fetch Gaius for me?" Gwen sat on the ground and rested her head on the nearby wall, the cold stone feeling good.

Elyan didn't have to be told twice, he could tell his sister was unwell. He feared the stress of running the kingdom and her beloved being so far away was effecting her. Gaius arrived at the queens chambers quickly with his bag in hand. He had Elyan moved Gwen to the bed, checking her over.

"What seems to be the matter, my lady?" He asked her while doing his assessment.

"My stomach is all in knots" She explained it him "It was very sudden and painful."

"Do you think your food may have been poisoned?" Gaius seemed worried that any harm would come to her.

"I do not think so. We both ate and drank the same thing, I got the food myself." Elyan informed the physician. "She has been under a lot of stress lately. She can hardly stay awake most day, her emotions are running high since Arthur left."

Gaius frowned slightly then got a thoughtful look on his face. "My lady, if I may ask, when was your last monthly?"

Gwen turned red at the question, "Last month of course" She sounded insulted for a moment until she gasped lightly "Wait, no, it's been longer than that." She tried to think of when it was but she had been so busy since the wedding to Arthur and becoming Queen, the search for Morgana, all the meeting with other kings and queens. "I don't remember." She told him honestly.

He smiled at her "I believe you may be with child, I can give you something that may help with some of the symptoms." He squeezed her hand "Congratulations your highness."

Gwen was is total shock for a full minute and then she felt tears prick at her eyes. Elyan pulled her into his arms. "He will make it back Gwen, he has to now." He tried to calm her fears.

"Arthur, please be safe, please return to us." She whispered and let herself cry into her brother's shoulder. Her Arthur was off in the territory of the most brutal person on the planet and she had no way to tell him he would be a father. Could anything more happen to them?

 **A/N I'm planing for this to be a long story so please let me know what you think or what you might want to happen. I have an idea where this is going to go but I love others opinions.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 **A/N This took a little more set up time then I had planned at first but stories have a tendency to write themselves. In this chapter we will start to see Arthur start to question if his men are who he always believed them to be.**

Arthur and his men left the village with the rising sun and by mid-day they were crossing into Amata. Arthur warned the group at the crossing to be extra watchful as they were now entering enemy territory. Arthur and Leon took point with Gwaine and Percival in the back, the four men were unconsciously keeping Merlin safe since he had almost no fighting skills.

The first two days of the journey passed them easily. They followed a rocky ridge most of the way. It was uneven ground and there was the constant risk of a rock slide but because it was an unused route they had less of a risk of running into anyone.

On the third day they ran into an opening to a large cave. This was the riskiest part of the trip. Arthur knew that this cave system would let them out a day's walk from the edge of the forest. Arthur didn't know the path to get to this exit. He had never once been in these caves nor did he have any maps of them. If they were to go around the caves it would save half a day or more but they would have to go through open flat lands. That was a large risk of being seen.

Arthur gave the choice to his men, telling them the risk with both options. They did not know what waited for them on either path. Bandits or Sarrum scouts on the open field or a labyrinth of tunnels and possible Wilddeoren in the caves.

"I'm not a big fan of the Wilddeoren option" Gwaine pointed out. He had run into the beasts once before and that was enough for his lifetime.

"I vote against giant man eating rats" Merlin agreed with a little laugh.

"If it is our best chance to avoid detection then I say we use the cave" Leon gave the logical answer.

All the men looked at Percival for his vote. "We could spend days in those tunnels and never find our way out, or we can end up miles from where we wish to be and never know. It may be more dangerous to stay above ground but when have I ever been afraid of danger?"

It was decided then, they would take the flat land and hope they remained unseen. A hope that was not meant to come true.

-0-

They had traveled for a few hours without incident. Arthur could feel the tension in his shoulders and neck. He didn't even notice he was grabbing the hilt of his sword as he walked until his hand started to go numb. He slowly relaxed his hand and tried to look calm. He didn't want his men to worry. Merlin was going on about something that Arthur was paying no attention to. On occasion one of the other knights would join Merlin and he would hear laughter. He could always rely on Merlin to help defuse stressful situations. He felt himself relaxing and decided it was time to annoy Merlin a little.

" _Mer_ lin, will you please try and be quiet, it's not like we are in dangerous territory or anything" He was partly joking and hoped Merlin wouldn't get too offended.

"Yes your royal prat-ness, should I polish your shoes as we walk?" Merlin's tone was overly serious but he had his dopy grin on. Arthur figure he must have missed something earlier in the conversation because all the other men broke into laughter.

Arthur smiled and shook his head, "No, I think just kissing my feet will suffice" It was clear he was joking and just caused the men to laugh more. Arthur was enjoy the little reprieve form the stress and high alert from the last few days. It felt good to joke around with the men and pick on Merlin, maybe that's why he didn't hear the horses at first.

All the knights went quiet and turned to the sound of the hoof beats. There was ten men on horseback riding towards them. They had already been spotted and there was nowhere to run to, they would have to stand and fight.

They were at a disadvantage at the beginning of the fight with their attackers on horseback. From how they were dressed, Arthur figured they must be Sarrum's men. It took effort but eventually they had all the men off their horses and two were already dead. Arthur was fully focused on his opponent, a large man who was very skilled with a sword. It was taking all of Arthur's skill to keep the man from killing him. Arthur could hear the other fights happening around him. He felt more then heard the man coming at him from behind, he quickly slashed across his current opponent's chest and turned to face the new threat. Arthur turned just in time to see the man that was approaching him fly backwards and get knocked out when he hit the ground.

Arthur knew he had just see magic attack that man. He quickly spun in a circle to see who the ne foe might be, maybe Morgana. He saw Percival in battle with two men, Gwaine was fighting another, Leon was just finishing his opponent, and even Merlin had somehow got ahold of a sword and was holding off one man. There was one more man dead on the ground. There didn't seem to be anyone new in their fight. Arthur went to go save Merlin, Leon was helping Percival. It didn't take long after that for the skilled knights to take care of Sarrum's men. They tied up the man that had been knocked out and quickly went to find a place to hide.

A short walk from the battle they found an entrance to the cave system they had chosen to abandon earlier. They quickly made their way into the cave, going deep enough not to be seen from the outside but not so deep that they would get turned around and lost. Merlin set to work looking the men over for any injuries. Most of them had small cuts and would have a few bruises but he was able to quickly clean the cuts and bandage them with some supplies that he had. Percival had a particularly deep cut to his forearm that Merlin was going to have to close up after he cleaned it. Leon went to get firewood so Merlin would have some light to work with.

While the men were relaxing after the fight Arthur was thinking over what had happened. He knew for a fact he had seen magic used to throw that man. There had been other times he had seen Morgana do the exact same thing. He also knew the Sarrum's men would not attack each other nor would Sarrum ever tolerate magic in his kingdom. Arthur had seen no one else at the battle and there had been no place for anyone to hide, if there had been he was sure Merlin would have found it. That left him with only one option and it chilled him to the bone, one of the men he trusted most in the world was using magic.

 **A/N This one took me a little longer to write and I'm sorry. Next time we are finally going to make it to the Forest, YAY!**

 **A/N Best wishes to all in Paris today. The darkness of today just make tomorrow brighter.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The group decides to stay the night in their cave after finding no signs of Wilddeoren. Arthur agrees to take the first watch and let his men get the rest they need. Arthur knew he wasn't going to be able to sleep that night no matter what he did. His mind was racing with thoughts of magic.

Leon was the least likely to be using magic in Arthur's mind. Leon had been a knight for many years and was loyal to both Uther and Arthur. Leon had always showed compassion but never had broken the law. He never argued with Uther when he would have magic users put to death. Leon was a good man as far as Arthur was concerned and he felt there was no way he could be using magic.

Gwaine was Arthur's next consideration. He didn't like to talk about his past much to Arthur or his other knights. No one knew for sure where Gwaine was from or who his family was. Could he be hiding the fact he comes from a magic family? The more Arthur thought of it the more he wondered about Gwaines past. Of course, if Gwaine did have magic, he probably would have said something one of the many times the pulled him out of a tavern. When Gwaine was drinking he would say or do anything to impress the girls around. Arthur was sure if he had magic he would have probably slipped up and shown off. Gwaine was a show off after all with the ladies and with fighting. In fact he often got lucky in a fight and won many competitions. Was he using magic in his fights to win?

That made Arthur think about Percival. Arthur realized he knew next to nothing about the gentle giant of a man. He knew the Cenred had attacked Percival's village and killed his family but that was all. Percival had always been loyal to Arthur and didn't think twice about fighting Morgana to win back Camelot. He had no fear when going against an immortal army, was that because he had magic on his side? Arthur didn't want to believe that, Percival seemed to distrust magic users. The few occasions that they had encountered sorcery since Percival became a knight he seemed to be weary of the person. Would he be so if he had his own magic? Or was he scared that he would be exposed? Arthur did not want to believe that someone that would stand up for him in his hour of need would break Camelot's laws in such a way. Then again Percival wasn't from Camelot.

 _Merlin wasn't from Camelot either_ , Arthur thought. A lot of strange things began to happen after Merlin arrived to Camelot. The number of magic attacks on the kingdom seemed to skyrocket after Merlin's arrival. Was Merlin somehow involved with all the magical attacks on Camelot? Arthur notice Merlin had a soft spot for druids and he always seemed to disapprove of the execution of magic users. Merlin had been very distracted during the battle though, he was useless with a sword and was having to hold off a skilled fighter. There was no way in Arthur's mind that Merlin could have fought off an attacker and used magic to protect Arthur. Merlin wouldn't have had the time to use the magic that Arthur had seen. He wasn't smart enough to use magic either. Merlin was a complete idiot … except when he wasn't. Arthur remember all those times Merlin gave him advice and almost seemed wise. Could Merlin be smarter then he lets on?

Arthur didn't know what he was going to do. The only person he was sure didn't have magic was Leon. But then if any of the other three was able to hide magic from him for this long who is to say that Leon couldn't as well. The more Arthur tried to think about it the more worried and paranoid he became. Could he trust any of the men he had hand chosen to become knight? Perhaps his father was right about allowing commoners to be knights of Camelot, their loyalty could be divided. Arthur eventually came to the decision that he could not worry about this now. He had to stay focused on the quest. He would put it out of his mind until they had returned home, then he would question his men.

In the morning the group got ready to head out again. Merlin was sure that he could find the way to a different cave opening then the one they came in it. He has something about growing up around caves and knowing what to look for. To be honest Arthur wasn't paying attention but the others seemed to trust him so off they went with Merlin leading the way, Arthur just knew this was a bad idea. After hours of walking Arthur was positive that this had been a bad idea and that Merlin had gotten them lost.

" _Mer_ lin, do you have any idea where you are even heading?" Arthur was frustrated with his manservant.

"Yes, it's this way" Merlin started to head one way then stopped "no, this way" he turned and walked the other was, holding his torch above his head "no…"

Arthur felt like he was going to strangle the young man "Well, which way is it!"

Right after Arthur yelled at Merlin a light breeze came thru the cave, visible in the movement of the flames on the torches. "This way" Merlin said with more confidence and headed the way the wind had come from.

Merlin had been right this time, thankfully, and after a few more minutes they were out of the cave in sunlight again. They came out miles from the fight before which was good, it meant that it was be difficult to track them down. They could see the treetops of the forest in front of them, it was still almost a half day's walk to get to the edge of the forest. They started heading into the direction, still on high alert for another attack. It was dark before they were to the forest but they continued on, feeling getting to the forest edge would be a safer place to make camp then out in the open. It was the night of a full moon so they had plenty of light to guide them it was just very cold.

The moon was high in the sky when they reached the edge of the forest. Merlin quickly got some firewood and they all gathered around the warmth. None of them had intended to fall asleep but once they had warmed up they all dosed off with no one keeping watch.

They got lucky and no one attacked them during the night. Arthur was the first one to wake up and he was surprised by what he found in camp. Curled up by the now dead fire was a little boy. The child could not have been more than five or six years old. The clothes he wore looked very thin and he must be cold. Arthur check to make sure the boy was still alive but didn't wake him. He then woke Merlin and had him go get more wood to restart the fire. He covered the boy with his and Merlin's blankets and woke the other three men. No one wanted to bother the sleeping boy. Percival and Gwaine went in search of something to eat while Merlin started a fire. They only woke the boy after they had some fish from a nearby stream cooked up. They had also found a few remaining berries that were still good to eat.

The boy jumped away from them when he woke up, looking terrified. He had a mop of blond hair and green eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean … please don't hurt me"

"We won't hurt you" Leon explained, getting down on the boys level, trying to not look intimidating. "We just wanted to know if you were hungry." He smiled and held out a cooked fish to the child. It seemed to do the trick as the boy relaxed and took the fish slowly, taking a small bite.

"Thank you so much. I was just so cold and I saw the fire and I was cold." The kid tried to explain.

"We understand. Where is your family?" Leon asked

"I got lost. We live on the other side of the trees but I'm scared to go myself"

Arthur knew of the village the boy was talking about, it was only a few hours walk from the other side of the forest. They talked with the boy as they ate their breakfast. The boy's name was James and he had been out picking berries with his father when he got lost and scared. He had heard that "the trees make people go away and not come back" and didn't want that to happen to him. All the knights vowed that they would help James get back to his family safely. Merlin didn't seem too sure about this however and pulled Arthur to the side to talk to him.

"What if this is a trap?" He questioned "Sarrum caught Morgana somehow and she is a very powerful sorceress. She has a weak spot for children, what if this is how Sarrum did it?"

"Merlin, really, this is just a little boy who is lost." Arthur brushed off his worry.

"Then how did he trap Morgana?"

"He has many strong men, we almost had her captured with just a handful of men. He could have used a whole army." Arthur didn't really care how it had happened, he was just glad Morgana was locked up.

"Arthur, please I have a bad feeling about this …"

"Oh shut up Merlin. He is just a young child what harm could he possibly do?" Arthur didn't know at that moment just how right Merlin was, but then again Merlin usually was about these things.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 **A/N This chapter became a lot longer than I had intended. It brings up some trust issues for Arthur and answers them as well. Please enjoy.**

After finishing their breakfast and cleaning up the camp the group heads into the forest. The plan is to head to the village with James first and to look for the Horn on the return. James seems to favor Leon and Percival, both men at ease with the child. This was a good thing for Arthur since he didn't have a clue what to do with children. Merlin was still suspicions of him and Gwaine just seemed awkward. Percival carried James most of the time so he could stay wrapped in blankets and warm. Leon was telling the boy stories and jokes as they walked. It was strange to hear fanciful stories of knights saving princesses from dragons or going on mighty quests to save the damsel in distress. Arthur was much more use to the war stories of great battles that they had all fought, picking on the ones that missed out on the fun.

"Leon, do you have any children?" James asked of him.

"No, I do not"

"Why not?" James used the adorable confused tone children had.

"Because I have never been married" Leon was patient with explaining to him.

"Why not?"

"Because I cannot be with the women I love."

"But why not?"

Leon laughed at the repeated question. "Now that is a long and sad story, maybe I'll tell you before bed"

James frowned at him "Promise?"

"I promise little guy." Leon ruffled his hair and James laughed

"What about you?" James looked up at Percival "Do you have any children?"

Percival got a sad look on his face "No, My wife was pregnant once, but I lost both of them."

All the men were quiet when they heard that. They knew that Percival's village had been destroyed and not many people had survived. No one had given thought to who Percival had lost and none would have ever thought his pregnant wife would be one of the people killed.

"I'm sorry" James said to him "But daddy says that when people die they watch over us and that when we die they will be there waiting for us. So don't be sad, you wife is watching and waiting for you. Just think of this as a long adventure and when you get home she will be there." That succeeded in making Percival smile again and the mood was lifted.

When it started to get close to dark they made camp. After they had eaten James came up to Leon and asked him for the story he was promised. The two sat down by the fire and Leon held the boy in his lap. Arthur, Merlin, Gwaine, and Percival gathered around, wanting to hear the story as well.

"Once upon a time, many years ago, I was a young boy and the son of a knight. My father was in the service of King Uther and I grew up around the children of other knights. There was a beautiful and sweet girl who was my favorite to play with. We were very happy children until one day her father died."

"Oh no" James said quietly, engrossed in the story. "What happened?"

"He was killed in a battle, but that's not the important part. The maiden had already lost her mother and with no family to care for her she was taken in by a friend of her father. He treated her very well but was very protective of her. When we grew older I decided to court the young maiden but her guardian would not allow it."

"What did you do?" James asked excitedly.

"I courted her in secret. I would leave gifts and letters for her and she would write me in return. I loved her more than anything in the world. I would have gladly died for her if she had only asked then."

"If you love her so much why don't you marry her?" James made it sound like Leon was acting like an idiot.

"I had every intention for doing just that. But before I got the chance she disappeared, kidnapped." This earned a gasp of shock from the small child. "I went after her of course, as did many knights. But she remained lost to us for a year. When she returned she was no longer herself." Leon heard quick intakes of breath from around the group as they figured out who he was talking about. He couldn't even look at Arthur, too worried of what he might think.

Arthur was in a bit of shock. Leon was in love with Morgana? Could he be using magic then? Could he be working with her to take over Camelot? There was nothing he wouldn't do if Gwen was to ask him, would that logic not follow with Leon and Morgana.

"When she returned she was a powerful sorceress. She was angry and there was evil in her heart. She was no longer the women I had loved. Magic had corrupted her and for that I hate magic more than ever. I have not married because the love of my life is gone and she took my heart with her." He looked up at Arthur, "Magic stole that happiness away from me and I will fight it to my dying breath."

Arthur went over to him and put an arm around his shoulders in a brotherly hug. "We will help Morgana find peace, in this world or the next." Arthur still did not want to believe that Morgana was past saving.

"Agreed" Percival said "We will not allow you to face this alone."

"We all want to help Morgana" Merlin added "If we can bring her back, we will."

"You know I never like hurting girls unless I have to" Gwaine said. "When it comes to it, I'll let you decide Leon."

Leon was touched by the care of his friends and happy that not one seemed to question his loyalty. Everyone got ready for bed and Leon had the first watch. James came over to sit with him.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" Leon scolded him.

"I wanted to ask you something. Would you stay with me?" James looked sad and scared.

"Stay with you? Why?"

"I … I lied to you. I don't have parents" There was tears in the child's eyes. "These men came and they killed my mama and papa." The tears ran down his face. "They killed everyone."

Leon pulled him into his arms, "Why don't you come with us then?" He offered to the scared boy.

"I can't … I can't leave this forest."

Leon frowned at him. "You can't leave the forest? Why would you …" When James looked up at Leon this time his pupils were long vertical slits. Leon realized at that moment the boy had changes and that from below the waist he had the body of a snake and it was wrapped tightly around Leon's body. James must be one of the Nagas they had been warned about. Before Leon had any time to react James had bitten him in the shoulder, Leon could feel the poison move through his body and to left him paralyzed, unable to warn the others.

When Gwaine woke to bushes rustling, from squirrels he found out, he decided he would relieve Leon of his watch. He found the man lying on the ground, pale and sweating. Gwaine immediately woke the others. They moved Leon by the fire where Merlin examined him. James was sleeping across the fire from where the men were working. Merlin quickly noticed the bite on Leon shoulder.

"It looks like he was bit by a large snake. This must have been a Naga's. Be careful they could still be close by." Merlin warned the men.

"Is there anything that can be done for him?" Arthur asked, worried that he would lose the one person he knew he could trust right now.

Merlin didn't say anything but went to his bags. He had a bag the contained his medicines along with his normal satchel that he carried. He put a paste made of some herbs on the bite and pulled a book out of his satchel. "I'm going to try and draw the poison out but there is no telling how far it has spread. I don't remember much of what Gaius had said but I remember there was something important about the bites, luckily I thought to bring this book with information on Naga's with us."

Arthur was about to go off on Merlin for forgetting important information but he couldn't. Merlin had thought ahead to bring information with him and he was trying to help Leon. Arthur almost wanted to demand that whoever had magic use it to help Leon but he didn't dare risk it. If the magic user was outed there was no telling how he would react. He could lash out at them and kill them all.

It took Merlin only a few minutes to find the information he needed but it felt like hours to Arthur. "It says that the bite of a Naga can have two effects depending on the intention of the Naga the inflicted the bite." Merlin frowned down at the book he was reading. "If the victim is near death then the bite will kill them. If the victim is strong and heathy then the bite may be used to turn the victim into a Naga."

"So you're saying that Leon is going to become one of those monsters?" Percival asked.

"There has to be a way to stop that" Gwaine insisted.

"According to this book the only way to prevent the transformation is to be true of heart. It says that if there is any evil or darkness in your heart then you will be transformed." Merlin closed his book and put it away. "So this is all up to Leon and what type of man he is." Before the discovery earlier in the night, none of the men would have questioned if Leon was pure of heart. Now that question was in all their heads. If he felt for Morgana, believed even a little that she was right in her actions, then they would lose him forever.

No one was able to sleep that night, everyone was worried about Leon. Merlin was doing what he could to help remove the poison but he knew this fight was up to Leon. It was just after sunrise when Leon's fever finally broke and he began to get some color back. When James woke up he was worried about Leon's condition and wanted to stay with him even with the others telling him not to worry.

"Ja … James" Leon said very softly, his throat felt dry and sore, his eyes still closed.

"Leon, you're awake!" Merlin was excited and got Leon some water to drink.

"Where is James?" he asked after he drank his water.

"I'm right here." James was beaming, happy Leon had woken up and sure that his plan had worked.

As soon as Leon saw the boy he lunged for him. He tried to grab the kid but he ran and hide behind Percival. Merlin and Gwaine held the weakened Leon down.

"So the poison worked then?" Arthur asked, "You let yourself become a monster?" Arthur sounded like he was ashamed of Leon.

"I'm not the monster! That thing attacked me!" he was trying to get free of the men holding him and pointing to James. "He said the rest of his family is dead and he wanted me to stay with him." Leon calmed down and stopped fighting against his friend, winded at this point. "He said he was alone and everyone he knew was killed. I offered to take him back to Camelot but he said he couldn't leave the forest. The next thing I knew he was half snake and was wrapped all around me and he bit me. Then all I knew was my mind was filled with voices and memories, it was like something inside me was trying to make me hate my friends, turn against the people I swore to protect. It was like being trapped in the dungeon with Morgana again." Leon sighed and closed his eyes. "I wouldn't let her win and I didn't give into them."

With Leon's explanation everyone turned to the boy to question him, only he was gone. He had run away while they had all been distracted. Arthur made to go off in search of him but Leon stopped him. "Don't Arthur, let him go. I believe what he said and that he is the last of his kind. I cannot blame him for not wanting to be alone. Besides, could you really harm a child?"

Arthur wanted to believe that he would kill any monster, any threat to him or his men. He couldn't though. He knew he would not harm a child no matter what their crime had been. He was better than his father in that way, or maybe weaker. He didn't go after the boy and instead he saw to his men. Leon was weak but swore that he was able to walk. All of them were tired but determined to continue of their journey.

They began to explore the forest, keeping a close look out for James. After a few hours they came across what looked like a small cave. Around the cave was scraps of cloth hanging to trees.

"This is a sacred place." Merlin told them. How did Merlin always know this? It looked like any other place to him without the cloth that was all around. That must be it, this must be some ritual since it was the one common thread with all of Merlin's "Secured" places. Following Merlin's hunch the men decided to head into the cave and look around. There was a small chamber when they first walked in but it lead to a large chamber. There was writing on the wall in the larger chamber that could not be made out in the dim light. In the middle of the chamber, resting on top of a broken stalagmite, was a ram's horn. That must be the item that they were looking for. Arthur went over and grabbed it, expecting something to happen like a cave in. When nothing happened he considered himself lucky and led his men out of the cave.

In the sunlight Arthur looked at the horn. It was large, almost the length of his arm with a full loop in it. The tip of the horn had been removed and a metal mouthpiece was in its place. It was a beautiful work, perfectly white with markings carved into it. Arthur couldn't understand what they said and no one else could either. Merlin suggested that they looked like druid symbols and that Gaius may be able to read it when they returned to Camelot. Arthur was sure they had found their prize and he and his men started the journey home.

 **A/N I love the idea of Morgana and Leon and I am going to write a story about the two of them next. It's going to be a companion story to this and events after this story ends. It's going to follow their relationship starting with them as children. It will mostly be a stand-alone but will have spoilers as to how this story ends so I will not be posting until after I finish this story. I'm excited for the story and I hope you all will be too.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

They trip back to the border passed with limited problems. They had decided to trust Merlin's navigation once again in the caves and it took almost two days of wondering around before they found their way out. It was bitterly cold by the time they reached the border, it would start to snow any day now. Arthur didn't want to waste any time and the men loaded up the horses and set out for Camelot. Luckily it had been dry while they had been gone and the previously flooded river was back to an easily crossable level.

They didn't have any issues until they were in camp about a day's ride from Camelot. That night they were all celebrating that they would be returning home the next day. Merlin was cooking up his famous stew on the large fire they had. It was far colder then was safe to be out and exposed like this but the light mood in camp made it almost unnoticeable. Arthur wanted to ride through the night, he wanted to be with Guinevere again and he was sure if he asked the knights to, they would follow him, but it wasn't safe to do so. They had been away from home for nearly three weeks and they were all ready to be back. Arthur had the horn tied up to his horse's packs. He didn't trust any of his men to carry it, not until he knew who had magic.

It was late in the night when a storm started to blow in. There was strong gusts of wind that chilled the men to the bone. There was a loud howl that came on the wind, like a wounded wolf. None of the men realized at that time what the noise was, no one even thought about the horn. That's what the noise was though, every gust would blow into the horn and create the haunting noise. After almost half an hour of the harsh weather the men started to hear other noises, hoof beats, dogs whining, children laughing.

Merlin was the first to see anything, tripping over a tree root as he tried to move away from what appeared to be nothing. "Wolf! Huge Wolf!" he said pointing at the empty space in front of him.

After Merlin, Leon, Gwaine, and Percival all swore they were seeing animals that Arthur could not. The knights even attempted to fight off nothing. Something had to be happening to his men. Arthur made the decision for them to abandon camp and make a run for Camelot. He ordered the men to their horses and they left in a rush. Arthur had to keep the men focused as they swore that the animals they saw were chasing them. When nothing he had seemed to make them believe that they were seeing things he told them "Move faster if you're such babies and think they are going to get you!" He had just been messing with them in his exasperation but it seemed to work and they focused on getting away instead of what was – or wasn't – behind them.

At daybreak Gwaine announced that they were no longer being followed and they slowed their pace for the sake of the horses.

"What was going on back there?" Arthur asked them.

"There was a wolf as big as a man" Merlin swore.

"Did you miss the horse with fangs? It had fangs." Percival said "And it was a good deal taller than any horse I had ever seen."

"I saw the wolves." Gwaine sided with Merlin. "But I could hear the horse too, like it was right behind me."

"There was a horse behind you, me!" Arthur sighed and shook his head. "Leon, what did you see?"

"I saw … I saw the horse." He said and Percival was happy he was vindicated in what he had seen. Leon lied of course, he didn't think Arthur would believe him if he said he had seen little people flying round almost faster then what could be seen. He didn't even believe it.

"It's the hunt." Merlin said, "Gaius told us that it makes you see beasts. We must have started the hunt somehow."

"Well if we did, it is more than welcome to stay right where it is." Arthur said and led the way back to Camelot. Merlin didn't think it was going to stay there though. He had a feeling this was not the end of this hunt.

They reached Camelot by midday. Gwen and Elyan were waiting at the steps of the citadel for them. Gwen came running over to Arthur when he dismounted and threw her arms around him. At that moment she didn't care what was proper and what wasn't. She had been panicked for the past week, thinking she had lost her husband and would raise her child alone. Now what he was home she was too relived to care about anything but the man in her arms. He held her tight and tried to comfort her.

"I told you I would come back it just took a little longer. It's all going to be alright now." He smiled at her.

Merlin took care of the horses when Arthur and Gwen talked, handing the horn over to Arthur before taking his horse away. Gwaine took Percival to Gaius' chambers. They trusted Merlin's patch but wanted Gaius to make sure there would be no lasting damage. Leon helped Merlin tend the horses and unpack.

Arthur felt wonderful being home again. He took the horn down to the vault beneath Camelot. He wanted Gaius to look it over and tell him what the druid markings said but for today he needed to rest and spend time with his wife. He knew that the horn would be safe locked up and whoever it was that had magic would not be able to get ahold of it.

He went back to his chambers with Gwen where she already had a servant, not Merlin, draw him a bath and there was food waiting on the table for him. He quickly ate a few bites before he striped and soaked in the warm water. Gwen helped him wash, happy to have him home once more.

Arthur told her about what had happened to keep them away for so long. He told her of the attack by Sarrum's men, the child in the woods that turned out to be a Nagas, he even told her about Leon and Morgan.

"Can you believe that they two of them were ever together?" He asked and was answered by silence. He looked at Gwen and she looked a little guilty. "Guinevere?"

"Arthur, you know me and Morgana were best of friends, of course I knew." She couldn't look him in the eye. "But I know Leon and I know he would not betray us, so I have kept the secret for his sake. I didn't know how you would react if you found out." She looked worried now about how he would react.

He sighed and kissed Gwen lightly. "Lucky for Leon, I need him right now, he is the only one I can trust at the moment."

"What do you mean?"

"In the fight with Sarrum's men, I saw one of them go flying, by magic. I do not know who it was that used it though." Arthur explained to her his thinking about each man that had accompanied him and how he was sure that Leon was the only one that wasn't using magic. "I need to find who it is that is using magic."

"What do you plan to do with them when you find them?" Gwen was worried about all her friends. She was close with all the knights and Merlin was still her best friend.

"I don't know." Arthur said honestly, "I should have them put to death but …"

"They are your friends." She finished for him and he nodded his agreement. Gwen wanted to tell Arthur about her pregnancy but she figured that this was not the time to be dropping that on him. He had enough to deal with at the moment. She would help him work out the horn and who was using magic, then she would tell him.

That night everyone in the citadel was awoken by screams of terror coming from the lower city. It was pure chaos with everyone screaming about beast and monsters. It reminded Arthur of the night at camp only so much worse right now. He still couldn't see what everyone was yelling about but the guards he brought with him to investigate were not that fortunate. When they entered the lower town the guards saw the same apparitions as everyone else. Arthur did the only thing he could think to do in this situation, he ordered everyone back into their homes and told them to barricade themselves inside. It took hours to get everyone back to their homes but he was happy that it appeared that the apparitions did not enter the buildings. Arthur was exhausted by daybreak, having handled everything on his own. If Merlin had been right then it seemed the Hunt had begun and that it had followed them home. Arthur was going to have Gaius inspect the horn as soon as possible. They had to find a solution to this bizarre situation.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

 **A/N: I want to respond to a comment I had about Merlin seeming OOC. This is a story written mostly from Arthur's view point so please keep in mind that everything is shaded by how Arthur sees people. There is much going on behind the scene that we don't see either because Arthur doesn't see it or because Arthur doesn't care about it. There are moments from Guinevere's point of view to explain some of her behavior so that I don't fully confuse anyone.**

Arthur retrieved the Horn and went right to Gaius to have him read the Druid writing. He had Leon, Gwaine, Percival, and Merlin all with him so they could explain what it is that was happening, seeing as how Arthur could not. Gaius looked over the runes and read out loud to himself. There was several warnings on the horn stating that once started the Hunt would last for one moon cycle, that the longer the hunt continued they stronger it became, and that the Faye love to play.

"The Faye? What's that?" Gwaine asked the old man.

"Fairies, very small human like creatures with wings." Gaius explained.

"Can they move really fast? Faster than you can see?" Leon asked and Gaius nodded at him. "I think I saw them, in the woods. I couldn't be sure, I could only see them when they were still but it could be them."

"That surprises me, normally only those with magic can see them. They are the cause of all the monsters that people are claiming to see. They serve as a distraction while the Faye cause mischief." Gaius explained.

"How do we get rid of them?" Arthur asked.

Gaius didn't answer right away, instead going back to reading the Horn. After a few minutes he wrote something down on a piece of parchment. "It says to end the Wild Hunt, you must say this incantation and blow the Horn at midnight." He handed the paper to Arthur.

"So only someone with magic can stop the hunt?" Gwaine asked.

"It appears that way I'm afraid." Gaius sighed "I can continue to read the inscriptions and search for another way Sire." He offered to Arthur.

Arthur nodded and dismissed his knights and ordered Merlin to shine his armor and clean his chambers. He didn't leave with the rest of the men though.

"Is there something else troubling you Sire?" Gaius asked when he noticed Arthur was not leaving.

"My father said you once practiced magic, could you not …" Arthur stopped when Gaius shook his head.

"I have not practiced such things in many, many years. I would not have the ability needed for such a spell." Gaius informed him.

"I understand" Arthur sighed. He didn't know what he could do to help his people. He felt like a failure as a king. It was even worse that he wasn't able to see the threat that was after them. "Gaius, why is it that I cannot see the same things as everyone else?"

"Because you are the one that summoned the Wild Hunt." He explained. "The Faye are wanting to cause trouble and feel indebted to you for freeing them. I figure this would be why they have left you be."

That didn't settle well with Arthur either. He had business to handle, there was many things missing from last night including food that the villagers needed. He also had to come up with a plan to deal with the nights to come, if Gaius was right this was just the start of things.

– 0 –

It had been four day's since Arthur had returned. Every night the Hunt would descend on the lower city and Arthur was out trying to keep the peace. Gaius had failed to come up with another solution for the problem and it looked like they would have to wait out the month before it was over. Guinevere had still not told Arthur about her pregnancy. Gaius had given her medicine for her nausea but he couldn't help with the exhaustion. Gwen had taken to the habit of taking an afternoon nap and that seemed to help. While in her chambers preparing for one of her naps Merlin came in to do his chores. He was startled to see her there but simply grated her and began his cleaning. Gwen had been thinking a lot over the last few days about everything Arthur was dealing with. His suspicions that someone close to him was using magic and the fact that magic was the only way to end this curse on the people of Camelot. The more she thought it over she came to the obvious conclusion.

"Merlin?" She asked as he was cleaning the table.

"Yes?" he asked, not looking up from his work.

"Why won't you use your magic to help Camelot?" she said in a matter of fact tone.

"What?!" Merlin stuttered and spilled the pitcher of water everywhere. "I don't know what you're talking about." He quickly tried to clean the mess.

Gwen tried not to laugh at Merlin's fumbling, this was a serious matter. "Merlin, sit down and let me explain." She waited for him to obey before she continued. "When Arthur returned from the quest for the Horn he told me he had witnessed magic being used to protect him. He does not know who it was that cast the spell. He suspects you, Gwaine, or Percival." She watched Merlin turning a little pale at being caught.

"It wasn't me, I mean it couldn't have been, where would I have learned magic? Maybe Arthur was confused about what he saw?" Merlin was trying to come up with excuses but he was crap at lying to Gwen.

"Merlin, it's alright, let me explain. After Arthur told me this I began thinking. You have been accused of sorcery on many occasions and have even admitted to the use more than once. Arthur may think you're an idiot but I know better. Then the other day Arthur told me that Gaius use to practice Magic and it all made since to me. You moved to Camelot to learn from Gaius. My question to you is, why? Why learn magic when it is illegal? Why lie to your friends? Are you evil like Morgana?"

Merlin sighed and looked at the ground. It was clear that he had finally been caught for good. "I'm not like Morgana. Magic isn't evil, its people that use it for evil. I didn't choose to learn magic, I was born with it. It's a part of who I am, I can't change that. I couldn't tell anyone, certainly not Arthur, he would have me put to death. I swear I have only used my magic to help Arthur, to protect him." Merlin tried to show his sincerity in his eyes.

"Why would you risk your life to protect Arthur?" Gwen asked.

"Because I know that he will be the greatest king Camelot has ever had. That can only happen if he stays alive and that clotpole is always trying to get himself killed."

Gwen laughed at that because she fully agreed with Merlin on that fact. It seemed Arthur was always risking his life in one way or another. Just like that the mood of the room was lifted. Merlin relaxed as he saw Gwen wasn't angry with him.

"So why not use the Horn and end this Hunt now?" Guinevere was still confused on why he wouldn't help Camelot.

"I can't without Arthur knowing it was me. The Horn is locked up and only Arthur has the key. I still do not know what he will do if he finds out I have magic." Merlin was honestly worried the Arthur would have him put to death. While Arthur had come a long way on his view of magic he still didn't trust anyone that had the gift.

Gwen wanted to argue that Arthur wouldn't hurt Merlin but she remembered how conflicted he had been since his return. How could she swear that Arthur wouldn't hurt Merlin when Arthur wasn't sure what he would do himself? She sat down as she tried to think over the problem. "What if I could get him to leave the Horn unguarded? Would you help Camelot then?"

Merlin nodded "If I can get the Horn I would be happy to help." He smiled at her, "Thank you for not freaking out about this Guinevere."

"That's what friends are for."

– 0 –

It was getting dark and Arthur was getting ready for yet another night of horrors. Things seemed to be getting worse each night, some people were even missing now. Arthur wasn't sure how much more Camelot could take. Gwen was waiting to say goodbye to him before he left.

"Arthur, I may have a solution to this problem, but you may not like it." She told him.

"What is it Guinevere?" At this point Arthur was open to any ideas she may have.

"You need magic to end this. You have three people you suspect of magic. Why not give them a chance to help." She told him. "They won't do anything while they think they will be killed for it, but if you give them a chance to help anonymously I think they will. They are all noble men who hate what is happening as much as you do."

Arthur gave her a light kiss. "I will consider this." He was being honest. He hated the idea of using magic but if it could help then what kind of king would he be if he didn't try.

That night was worse than any other, just as Arthur had feared. It seemed the apparitions were able to enter homes now and frighten the people inside. Arthur had tried to assure people that they were in no danger but it was increasingly more difficult to do. The next afternoon he decided that Gwen's idea was perhaps the only option that there was anymore. He gathered Leon, Percival, Gwaine, and Merlin in the throne room and sat with them at the round table. In the middle he had placed the Horn and the parchment with the incantation Gaius had given him.

"I wish I had time to do this more delicately but that is no longer an option. I know one of you has been using magic." Arthur told his men, all had appropriate expressions of shock and surprise, looking around at each other. Before they could start to defend themselves Arthur continued, "I witnessed it myself but have been unable to determine who the spell caster was as all of you were nearby. That is a matter I will be handling at a future time, for now I need your help. You all heard when Gaius said magic was the only way to end this. As such I will leave the horn here, unguarded, for two nights. If you are the men I think you are I know whoever among has magic, you will use the Horn to put an end to the evil that is infecting the city. After two nights I will be removing the Horn from Camelot and hope that the Faye it summoned follow it." Arthur didn't look at his men after his speech, he just got up and walked out of the room.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N I know it had been a while since I have posted and I'm sorry. With the holidays it makes work crazy and work is where I do most of my writing. I'm hoping to have another chapter done soon.**

Chapter 8

Arthur was out again that night protecting the city from the Hunt. While he was out he heard a little girl screaming. It took a few minutes of searching before he found her running towards the woods. Arthur came to know that anyone in the forest at night was not found in the morning. It looked like the girl was being chased by something that he could not see. He ran after her and picked her up before she reached the edge of the forest. At first the little girl screamed and tried to get away from him until she realized he wasn't a monster but a man.

"You are safe now." Arthur said, holding the little girl tight against his chest. She couldn't be older than two or three.

She looked up at him in awe, "King?"

Arthur nodded and smiled at her. "You have the king's personal protection." She girl seemed to relax but suddenly screamed and pointed behind them. Arthur spun around, expecting not to see anything. He was surprised to see close to a dozen large wolves with red eyes growling at them. If that wasn't bad enough Arthur could see fifty or more Faye floating among the wolves. Each of the Faye looked furious with Arthur, all talking to him but he could only make out a few voices.

"We want the girl."  
"Give her back to us."  
"She is ours."  
"Our new toy."  
"Let her go."

Arthur knew he couldn't give the girl up to them. He held her tight and ran off away from the Faye towards the citadel, for some reason they Faye were avoiding the castle itself and focusing on the town. Arthur hated running away from an enemy but he already knew he couldn't fight them. He had to get this little girl to safety. There was no out running the Faye though and they were quickly surrounded by creatures of nightmares. Arthur held the girl with one arm and drew his sword ready to do whatever was needed to keep her safe. The little girl had her arms wrapped tightly around Arthur's neck and was crying into his shoulder. The Faye were still yelling at Arthur, demanding that he give them back their prize. Just when the creatures were going to attack them there was a horrid noise that filled Arthur's ears. It sounded like a thousand dying animals. The Faye all froze and looked to the citadel. The noise sounded again and with an ear piercing scream the Faye disappeared with all of their apparitions.

Arthur looked at the girl in his arms, she was crying into his chest. "Your safe now, they are gone."

The girl very hesitantly looked up and all around them before she smiled and hugged Arthur around his neck. "Thank you Sire."

Arthur wanted to run back to the castle. He wanted to know who had blown the horn. He wanted to catch them in the act so they couldn't lie to him. He also wanted to make sure the little girl was safe. He couldn't leave her alone to try and find her way home. He could hunt down the mage later, he had to help her now.

So Arthur put the girl down and took her hand, he slowly walked the town with her until they found her house. Her parents came running out and scooped her into their arms, both saying about how thankful they were to have her back, neither even really seeing who it was that had saved their girl.

"If there is anything you are in need of, come to the castle in the morning and I will see that you have it." Arthur told them. "Food, clothes, toy's, we can get you anything your family needs for the winter."

The two parents looked up at Arthur and bowed to him. "My king …" The husband stuttered in his surprise. "We … we have our daughter, that is all we need in the world." He held his daughter close to him and Arthur could see the love the parents held for the girl.

"If there is anything you need to keep her healthy, do not hesitate to ask. The king is here to help his people, and that is what I intend to do." Arthur had listened to Guinevere about the troubles that the lower class faced and he was determined to make things better for his people. He felt no one should ever have to starve or worry about having the medicine they needed. Camelot was a rich and prosperous kingdom and that should be reflected in her people.

Arthur spent some time that night making sure the Faye were gone and people knew of his desire to help them recover and make it through the winter. He passed along his condolences to those who had family missing even as he swore to continue his look for them.

He was back in his chambers before the moon had reached its peak and was surprised to find that Gwen was still awake and waiting for him. Before he could remove his armor she was holding him in her arms. He was surprised by the sudden affection but not unhappy. Gwen helped him out of his armor and into his bed clothes, not saying anything to him until they were both in bed.

"Is it over?" she asked him.

"I believe so. I will lock the horn up in the morning and no one will ever see it again." He swore to her.

"Are you going to hunt down the person that stopped the attack on Camelot?" She was trying to make Arthur see the Merlin was good and was helping.

"Yes."

"But Arthur …" He cut off any argument she could have made.

"They are using magic in Camelot. It is forbidden, even if they used it to help this one time. Magic is evil Guinevere. What message would it send to the people if I let one of my knight's get away with practicing sorcery?" Arthur was in raged by the betrayal he felt. Deep down inside he could see Gwen's point of view. There was only two times he knew of magic being used by one of his knights and both times they had saved his life. That didn't change the fact they betrayed his trust and it didn't change the law.

Gwen took Arthur's hand and placed it on her stomach. Her belly had started to round slightly and if Arthur noticed he was enough of a gentleman not to comment on it. "Please be careful then, for us." She begged of him.

"Us?" he asked confused.

"I am with child, I didn't know how to tell you with everything going on." If Gwen had been worried that Arthur would be angry with her, she was wrong. He pulled her tightly into his arms and rubbed her stomach.

"I won't let anything happen to you or our child."

Gwen thought that he reveal would make Arthur slow down his hunt for the mage, she was wrong. If anything Arthur was more determined than ever to dig out the magic in his kingdom. He started his search with some of his other knights, and while no one seemed to know anything about magic being used in their ranks he had found two moles that were reporting information to Odin. He had those men locked away to be dealt with later. He learned other secrets, things like men cheating on their wives, petty theft from bandits, skipping out on their duties to drink at the tavern. Nothing that really interested Arthur but he would see to just punishment where it was needed. If nothing else came of this at least he was cleaning house and showing his knights that the behavior they are accustomed to Uther overlooking he would not. The knights of Camelot should be a shining example of how its citizens behave and should not be afforded special treatment due to their position.

By the end of the day Arthur was exhausted from talking to people and was no closer to finding the information that he wanted. He figured it was time to go right to the source of his worry and talk to his men. At this time of night he knew he could find Gwaine at the tavern so he headed down there. Gwaine was sure to be good and drunk by now and getting information was going to be easy.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I am so sorry it has been so long, holidays and all of that. I swear my new year's resolution is to write more often.**

Chapter 9

Arthur was not surprised when he found Gwaine at the tavern with a women on each side. Arthur was actually more surprised that Gwaine wasn't in a fight over said women. He did deserves some credit for the fact he got into bar fights a lot less often now that he was a knight of Camelot. The tavern was mostly empty tonight, most folks still worried that the Hunt would come back. Arthur pulled his cloak down more to cover his face, he didn't want people to know what their king was up too. Arthur waited for the women to leave before going over to Gwaine with a refill for him. Gwaine was not surprised to see Arthur, in fact he looked as if he had been expecting him.

"I guess you were right about one of us being a mage." Gwaine was careful to keep his voice down as he talked to Arthur. "I was hoping you were wrong."

"Can you tell me where you were last night?" Arthur asked him. He really didn't want to question his knights but he wanted this solved.

"I was with Leon, keeping watch at the gates to the citadel." The answer came easy and naturally.

"I'll check with Leon. Gwaine, may I ask you something personal." Arthur asked cautiously.

"You can ask me anything, you are my King."

"Why don't you talk about your past? What are you hiding?"

At first it didn't seem like Gwaine was going to answer. He was quiet and wouldn't look at Arthur. He finished his beer in one swig – for courage? – and sighed heavily. "I was born a noble, the son of a knight. After my father died in service of the King he refused to help me or my mother. I hated nobles after that. I swore I would never serve a king. Then I met you sire and my opinion changed. You, Sire, are a man worth dying for."

Arthur was shocked to hear all this. He had no idea that Gwaine was in fact a noble man but that shock him as much as Gwaine stating that Arthur was worth dying for. This wasn't the first time he had heard it but it was always surprising to hear. Arthur didn't see himself and any better than the men he surrounded himself with but apparently that was the thinking they all admired.

"You would do anything to protect me then?" Arthur asked.

"Anything I could, but I can't do magic." Gwaine wanted to make that clear to Arthur. "What did you even see?"

Arthur explained to him how he had seen the man thrown by and invisable force. He admitted he had even started to question what he saw but now that the Hunt had ended he had to reevaluate what he saw. He and Gwaine talked on it for a while and had a few beers, neither of them knew what to make of it. Arthur gave Gwaine many chances to out himself as a mage and he never did.

"You know what's truly magic?" Gwaine asked after a few more drinks. "How Merlin isn't dead yet. You really need to teach him during your training and not just beat on him." He laughed.

Arthur chuckled "I don't know, he seems to be good at defense, I don't think Merlin would have the heart to kill someone even if he had to. Kid is better off just hiding, it's kept him alive so far."

Arthur had another drink with Gwaine and talked over what punishments should be delt to the other knights. The two that had committed treason would be hung in a public execution to serve as a warning the others would receive a slap on the wrist, stuck doing the worst duties for the next month or so. When Arthur left the tavern he was mostly sure that Gwaine was innocent and after checking with Leon the next day he was sure that Gwaine was not the Mage he was looking for.

He had extra suspicious about Percival now. He had Percival come to the throne room that afternoon to confront him. Arthur was a little surprised that Percival arrived unarmed. Arthur knew that is was no reason to underestimate him, Percival could easily kill an armed man with his bare hands. Percival came up to Arthur and bowed down onto his knee.

"Do you know why I have called you here?" Arthur was trying to sound kingly but he was very confused by Percival's actions.

"You are going to accuse me of sorcery for which I have no defense." Arthur was shocked by these words. While he had been about to question Percival and he had no other suspects, he had never imagined Percival would just openly admit it.

"Are you saying you are guilty of using magic, the likes of which are outlawed in Camelot?"

"No only that I have no proof that I did not. I know you have spoken with both Leon and Gwaine and seeing as how neither was arrested I assume you have cleared them, that leaves only me and Merlin. I know you have never truly suspected Merlin, leaving me was the only person left." Percival was still kneeling before Arthur. Arthur was surprised by his words and the thought that was put into their meeting and honestly the fact he forgot all about Merlin.

"So you deny the use of magic."

"I do." Percival sighed and looked Arthur in the eyes, "If I had the ability to use magic, I would have done so to save my wife and child. I do not know who is was that used the Horn to stop the attacks on Camelot, only that they took a great risk to protect your kingdom and you, Sire."

Arthur sat in his throne and thought about what Percival was saying. It did stand to reason that if Percival had the sort of power that Arthur was looking for that he would have used it to save his family. Gwaine and Leon were both together the night the Horn was used and Percival was alone, but where was Merlin? Why had Arthur completely forgot about his servant boy? Merlin had been there when Arthur first saw magic being used to protect him. Merlin was there when Gaius examined the Horn and when Arthur told them the Horn would be available. Merlin had been ordered to stay inside during the hunt like the rest of the citizens, but the horn had been blown from the castle tower, he could have easily done that. Arthur needed more time to think about this.

"Percival, your dismissed for now." Percival was clearly surprised at Arthurs words, but left without questioning him.

Arthur went to his chambers and sat at his desk to think. He found himself writing out a list of the evidence against Merlin. There was so many magical attacked on the kingdom since Merlin arrived, many of which Gaius had said needed a magical solution but they were able to solve without magic. Had someone, had Merlin, been using magic this whole time to help them? Merlin had confessed to using magic before, but that had only been to help Gwen out, right? The witch finder had accused Merlin of sorcery. He had later been found to be a fraud though. Why had Merlin come to Camelot anyways? He came to live with Gaius and assumingly to learn from him since Gaius always referred to him as his student, but Merlin never wanted to learn about healing from Gaius. What had Merlin intended to learn from Gaius then? Could Merlin have come to Camelot to learn Magic from Gaius? Was Gaius still practicing magic? Arthur didn't really want to believe any of what he was thinking but he knew it was the only answer that made any since to him. Merlin was the warlock he was looking for and Gaius was the one that had taught him magic.

As Arthur thought more on it the angrier he became. He summoned his guards and gave the order to have both Gaius and Merlin arrested.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

When Gwen found out that Merlin and Gaius were arrested and in the dungeon she attempted to go see them unfortunately the guards would not let her see them. No matter what Gwen tried to tell them to let her in Arthur had given them strict orders that no one was allowed to see either man. Word that both were suspected of sorcery spread quickly through the castle and there was mixed views on it. Both men had been accused before and many thought it was another case of false accusation. Elyan, Percival, and Gwaine had a hard time believing that Merlin could be evil. Guinevere was furious with Arthur for arresting Merlin and Gaius. Leon seemed to be the only one that wasn't wanting to protect Merlin.

Merlin was captive for less than 24 hours before he tried to escape. The guards did not know how the boy managed to get out of his cell and he probably would have never been recaptured if they had not heard him trying to convince Gaius to leave with him. After his attempted escape Merlin was now restrained with chains in his cell and had yet to master another escape. There was a guard on him at all times, Leon having volunteered to take the day duty.

Arthur didn't bother to go down and see his two friends until they had been locked away for four days. The only reason he was willing to talk to them was Gwen's morning sickness returned and Gaius was the only one that could help her. For the health and safety of his Queen and child he would go and talk to the physician. Arthur should have known that Gaius would not do well in a cell but he wasn't ready for the sight he saw. Gaius was sitting on the cot that was in the cell and looked like he had aged years in just a few days. Arthur never thought about the old man's health or what this could do to him and he felt horrible about it now.

Arthur went into the cell and sat down next to Gaius, trying to seem as unintimidating as he could. Arthur found himself wanting to help Gaius, not punish him. He hoped that Gaius would give him the answers he needed to do that. "Gaius, did you know the Merlin was using magic?"

Gaius was quiet for a while, just looking at Arthur before he sighed and nodded. "I knew." Gaius was unsure if Arthur was ready for the truth but if he didn't tell the King now than they would never have a chance to.

"Did you teach him?" Arthur didn't sound angry, more like he was worried.

"I taught him many things. I taught him history and medicine and yes, I did give him information on magic." Gaius was unashamed of his actions.

"Why would you do that? You swore to my father to never practice magic again."

"And I have kept to the promise, except for one time when Merlin had almost died and I healed him. I helped Merlin conceal himself because Uther would have never understood. He forgot how things use to be." Gaius sighed, sounding defeated.

"Why teach Merlin magic when it was outlawed?"

"Merlin came to me with Magic, he was born with the ability. It happens from time to time and those born with magic become the strongest of sorcerers, I believe Merlin may become the greatest sorcerer that ever lived." Gaius saw the fear and panic that went across Arthur's face at his words. "And part of what makes him great is that he chooses to use his magic to protect you, My Lord."

"What part did you play in all of this Gaius?" Arthur was more worried about Merlin and his power now then he had been before but he still didn't understand why Gaius would have gotten involved.

"My part was to help out an old friend and make sure their son didn't do anything stupid and get himself killed." He let out a little chuckle, "A most difficult feet with Merlin, boy never listened to me."

"What would you tell him?"

"To keep his head down and not use his magic." Gaius' frustrations with Merlin's past behavior was clear in his tone of voice, sounding like a disapproving father.

"You didn't want his to use his magic?" Arthur was hopeful that he had found his way to free Gaius.

"I didn't want the boy getting himself killed."

Arthur visibly relaxed. "I see." Arthur got up and was going to leave when he remembered something "You said my father forgot how things use to be, what did you mean by that?"

"Back before the Purge, magic was outlawed but for most a blind eye was turned. At one time Magic served a great purpose. Magic is not evil, Sire, the person that uses it is." Gaius explained.

"What purpose could magic serve?"

"Some people can see the future and would help kings with the outcomes of battles. Magic can be used in times of drought or flood to help crops and prevent famine. I myself used magic to heal ailments and injuries that I can do nothing for now." Gaius seemed proud that Arthur was willing to hear him out on the uses of magic.

"Why have I never seen magic used like this?" Arthur seemed upset but it wasn't directed at Gaius.

"You have, Sire, you just were unaware at the time. By the time you were old enough to remember thing the only people that openly used magic were those angry at Uther and who wished to harm him. But I know that Merlin has used his magic to help you many times you just never realized what was happening."

Arthur didn't say anything else to Gaius after that but he did tell the guard to escort Gaius back up to his chambers. Assisting a sorcerer was still illegal but Arthur refused to punish the old man for helping Merlin. He knew Gaius thought of Merlin as a son and if Merlin already knew magic before coming to Camelot he couldn't blame him for helping Merlin conceal it. Arthur knew he would do the same if it was his child. Gaius had admitted to use of magic, but to save Merlin's life, his son's life. If he had used it for good could Arthur have him killed for that? He refused to be the tyrant his father was. But if he let Gaius use magic simply because it wasn't to harm someone did that mean it would apply to Merlin as well? The only times he knew of Merlin using magic was to help someone. This was clearly a complicated situation and would take time to figure out. That meant he would have to eventually talk to Merlin about who and what he was but Arthur wasn't sure he was ready for that talk just yet. He wasn't sure he ever would be ready to talk to Merlin.

 **A/N: I know this chapter is a bit shorter but clearly we are getting to a very big and important discussion between King and Mage. So next time, how will Merlin convince Arthur he isn't evil?**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

With Gaius released things went mostly back to normal for Arthur, of course Gwen was still insisting that he free Merlin as well. Arthur wasn't sure if he went to see Merlin because he was ready to talk to him or if he was just trying to get Gwen off his back. It had been three weeks since Merlin was locked up. Leon was the one in charge of his care and he was making sure Merlin was well taken care of.

When Arthur walked over to Merlin's cell he noticed several things at once. The small fire was the first thing to register, a small fire in Merlin's hand. Merlin's hand? He was supposed to be bound but he wasn't anymore, Arthur had not given that order. He watched as merlin said something under his breath and his eyes glowed for a split second before what looked like butterflies made out of embers came from the flames only to fly off and disappear. Arthur was astonished by what he just witnessed, Leon clapped his hands together and made an amazed noise. When Arthur came closer to the cell and was noticed by the two men Merlin quickly put the flame out and Leon was standing at attention.

"What is going on here? I see you have got over your hate of magic! He is supposed to be bound!" Arthur was furious and pointed his finger at Merlin. "What if he had decided to kill you?" When he looked at Merlin his anger dissolved. The boy looked scared and hurt, the look of utter terror in Merlin's eyes was Arthurs undoing. Merlin was never scared he was always happy and smiling, he never feared for his own life, only ever for Arthur's.

Arthur dismissed Leon and when he was gone he grabbed a chair to sit in front of Merlin's cell with. "I guess Leon has changed his mind about magic?" Arthur sounded annoyed but that was honestly making him think. Leon seemed to hate magic almost as much as Uther did but somehow Merlin had changed his mind.

"We had a lot of time to talk and he realizes now that magic is not evil." Merlin tried to explain.

Arthur scoffed and cut him off. "Merlin, I have seen magic, I know it is evil."

"If magic was evil then why have I never hurt you? Why didn't I kill you and Uther when I first got to Camelot? If magic is evil then why do you left the druids live peacefully?" Merlin wasn't going to let Arthur lie to himself. "For once Arthur, forget what Uther told you about magic and think about what you actually know about it. When can you remember magic being used?"

"Nimueh cursed the city with sickness and killed all those people." Arthur was planning to list them all off but Merlin cut him off.

"I healed Gwen's father and helped you defeat the creature using my magic."

Arthur was quiet for a second, taking in that Merlin really did have magic as long as he had known him. "When my Uncle was returned from the dead and tried to kill me and my father."

Merlin looked a little guilty when he gave his side of this tale. "I had Excalibur forged using the fire of a dragon, a magical sword that can kill the living dead."

Arthur looked down to the sword he was wearing, he would have never thought it had magic. He immediately stood and removed his sword belt. He wanted to throw the sword away but for some reason he couldn't and he just leaned it carefully against the wall. "So that story about the sword in the stone?"

"You needed help to remember who you are. You are the greatest king Camelot has ever had Arthur, I just helped you see that."

Arthur ran his hand over his face in frustration. "Do I want to know more?" Merlin didn't answer his question but after a few minutes of quiet Arthur came to the decision he had to know everything. "Was that kid from your village … William, was he even a warlock?"

"No, he was my best friend and he knew he was going to die and covered to protect me." Arthur could tell that even after all these years he was still hurt by William's death.

"The unicorns curse" Arthur felt a little smug, believing he finally had something Merlin couldn't defend or say he helped in.

"You killed the Unicorn. If you let it be then that wouldn't have happened. Magical defense."

They went on for a few hours with Arthur listing every time he could remember magic being used to attack Camelot and Merlin telling him how he had used magic to defend Camelot and help Arthur. Arthur was becoming more frustrated as time went on. He wanted to prove that he had been able to defend Camelot against magic without Merlin's help and it was infuriating him that he couldn't.

"The dragon!" Arthur suddenly remembered. "We went to get the Dragonlord to help but he was killed and I ended up killing the dragon."

Merlin got the same guilty look he had when he had told the truth of Excalibur. "He was my father and the means I'm a Dragonlord. I ordered Kilgharrah to leave Camelot and never return."

"Merlin …" Arthur was going between feeling angry at Merlin and guilty at himself. He had been so mean to Merlin when he saw him crying over the fallen Dragonlord, he had no idea that had been Merlin's father. He had no idea who the man was to his friend, but then how could he? Merlin never told him. If Merlin had told him that would mean admitting to magic with Uther as king. Could Arthur blame him for not telling him about all of this before?

Arthur got up without saying anything else to Merlin and left him, having Leon go back on guard. He left Excalibur leaning on the wall across from the cell.

Over the next few days Arthur was hard at work in his chambers working on something he refused to tell anyone about, even Gwen. Everyone assumed he was trying to figure out his punishment for Merlin. Every single member of Arthur's roundtable had tried to talk him out of killing Merlin but he would dismiss them without listening. Excalibur was housed in the armory now, Arthur had not worn it since Merlin told him about how it was magical.

It was five full days before he went back to see Merlin again with a roll of parchment. He didn't ask Leon to leave this time, just handed the paper to Merlin through the bars.

"What is this?" Merlin asked him.

"An offer. You can either be exiled and return to your home, or you can agree to my treaty." Arthur was trying to sound intimidating but he knew Merlin would be surprised when he read over the offer. He had spent a long time thinking about what Merlin had told him and the truth of the matter was that there would be no Camelot if it wasn't for Merlin's magic. As long as Camelot had magical enemies they would need magic to defend themselves. As such Arthur was about to propose the largest change to Camelot's laws since he had been born. He would allow magic back into Camelot. He would control that magic though. Anyone who would practice would have to be registered with the court and be monitored by them. He would only allow commoners to practice healing magic or magic that would assist with household chores. If there are any who possess a natural power such as Merlin or Morgana then they would be offered a position in a new division of the Knights of Camelot that would be created to defend Camelot against magic attacks. All magic users in the kingdom would be the responsibility of the head of that division of Knights, Merlin.

Arthur still had to make sure the rest of the Roundtable was behind him in his decision and he knew the change would take time, but he was sure they would support him. It took Merlin reading it a few times before he seemed to understand everything it said.

"You want me in charge of all the magic in Camelot?" He asked in disbelief.

"I still don't trust magic, but I trust you Merlin." Arthur unlocked his cell and opened the door. "What do you say?"

Merlin got up and left the cell. "I know you were the King Camelot needed. I'll accept this offer."

Arthur was right that it would take time for people to understand, in fact it took months for anyone to trust Arthur enough to come forward. Seeing Merlin and Gaius able to use magic without being killed gave some the courage to come forward. Gaius and Merlin would teach those willing and able how to use basic healing spells and then they would each be given and area to be in charge of. By the end of a year the Druids had been fully accepted by the people of Camelot, the Druids did not have to register with the Court though and were mostly left alone. Shops that sold magic herbs and tools opened up and many that had been hiding their abilities before were now using them openly. Many had feared an increase of magical attacks but the opposite seemed to be true. With Morgana safely contained and magic no longer punishable by death, it seemed the hate towards the kingdom was gone. With Merlin's help Arthur was attempting to explain the wonders of magic to their allies and have them pass similar laws. This was a process that would take years to accomplish but they were starting on it. For the first time in Arthur's life he wasn't looking over his shoulder, things were at peace in Camelot and it was a peace that looked like it would continue for many years to come.

 **A/N: This is where this story is going to end. I hope everyone did like it and if you want to see what happens in Camelot with the new laws I plan I writing a little about it in another story along with Arthur's child.**


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